Amazon Fresh stores are closing with little fanfare and little opposition, which is a subtle irony. Not a lot of markdowns. No last-minute, sentimental rushes. It was merely a prearranged withdrawal, carried out with the same cool accuracy that had once characterized their opening.
The retail behemoth declared this week that it is closing all of its physical grocery stores in the United States, including Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go. The decision marks a significant change in how Amazon intends to serve its grocery customers and impacts a total of 72 stores. Most of these places will close on February 1. A 45-day labor notice period in California only slightly postpones the inevitable.
| Key Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Announcement Date | January 27, 2026 |
| Stores Affected | All 72 Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go locations across the U.S. |
| Closure Timeline | Most stores close by February 1; California stores close 45 days later |
| Strategy Shift | Focus on Whole Foods and online grocery delivery |
| Future Expansion Plans | Over 100 new Whole Foods Market locations planned |
| Corporate Justification | Customer behavior shift, economic model misalignment |
| Customer Access Continuation | Amazon Fresh continues online; same-day delivery available in 5,000+ cities |
| Source | aboutamazon.com/news/company-news |
The action represents a redirection rather than a complete withdrawal from groceries. In the upcoming years, Amazon promises to open more than 100 new Whole Foods stores and increase its efforts in online grocery delivery.
🛒 Amazon Fresh Stores Scheduled for Closure
📍 Illinois
- Arlington Heights: 325 E. Palatine Road
- Bloomingdale: 404 W. Army Trail Road
- Morton Grove: 6939 Dempster St.
- Naperville: 3116 S. Route 59
- Naperville: 1351 E. Ogden Avenue
- Norridge: 4211 N. Harlem Avenue
- North Riverside: 7201 W. 24th St.
- Oak Lawn: 4031 W. 95th St.
- Schaumburg: 16 A E. Golf Road
- Tinley Park: 16017 S. Harlem Avenue
📍 New York
- Oceanside
- East Setauket
- Plainview (already closed in 2025)
📍 California (closures delayed by 45 days)
- Cerritos
- Encino
- Fountain Valley
- Fullerton
- Huntington Beach
- Irvine
- Ladera Heights
- Long Beach
📍 Other States
- Rancho Mirage, CA (project canceled before launch)
- Farmingville, NY (never opened)
🚪 Amazon Go Stores Scheduled for Closure
📍 Illinois
- Chicago: 500 W. Madison St.
- Chicago: 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza
- Chicago: 130 E. Randolph St.
📍 Other U.S. Locations
- All 15 Amazon Go stores nationwide are closing (names of additional Go locations not fully disclosed publicly but expected to follow similar timelines as Fresh stores)
Although this change might seem sudden, it was hinted at. Amazon Fresh stores in East Setauket and Oceanside, New York, generated initial excitement but later found it difficult to maintain momentum over the previous two years. The neighborhood grocer’s sense of community was never fully replaced by the tech-forward model, which included cashierless checkout and integration into Amazon’s delivery ecosystem.
The efficiency was appreciated by many customers. The shops were modern, spotless, and surprisingly reasonably priced. However, there was nothing genuinely human about the experience. There were no baggers smiling or lending a helping hand. In line, no chance encounters. Only algorithmic accuracy and silent exits.
This strategy revision is therefore more about focus than failure. Amazon continues to be incredibly successful at meeting customer demands. It avoids the difficult task of starting from scratch by focusing its efforts on Whole Foods, where brand loyalty is already ingrained.
When I went to an Amazon Fresh in 2024, I was most impressed by how quiet it was. Your own footsteps were audible. The automatic sensors even sounded like whispers. It seemed futuristic at first. Eventually, though, it simply felt hollow.
According to Amazon’s official blog post, the decision was made following a “careful evaluation” of consumer trends and financial viability. Customers are essentially depending more on online ordering and same-day grocery delivery, which Amazon already provides with extremely effective logistics. The company currently provides grocery delivery services to over 5,000 towns and cities, and that number is still rising.
Amazon’s 2017 acquisition of Whole Foods is another incredibly resilient asset that it can leverage thanks to this shift. Along with the physical infrastructure, that acquisition also brought trust and brand cachet. Customers of Whole Foods are devoted and frequently feel a strong emotional connection to the brand. Additionally, that level of customer intimacy is crucial for a tech giant that occasionally feels too big to touch.
Illinois provides a particularly insightful perspective on this change. From Arlington Heights to Tinley Park, more than a dozen Fresh and Go locations throughout the state are closing. Several Go stores, which were previously regarded as demonstrations of Amazon’s no-checkout technology, will close in major cities like Chicago.
Amazon’s tone is still resolutely upbeat in spite of this. The closures are presented as strategic realignments—identifying what customers truly want and reallocating resources accordingly—rather than as failures. That kind of pivot in business is recalibration rather than retreat.
A hybrid model that prioritizes flexibility is what’s emerging. online for ease of use. Whole Foods to make a connection. Delivery made possible by technology where it counts most. Additionally, physical presence should only be used in conjunction with a clear, scalable, and financially feasible model.
Amazon is positioned to reshape grocery around evolving habits rather than replacing the status quo, thanks to strategic alliances and insights gained from Whole Foods’ operations.
The planned Amazon Fresh in Rancho Mirage is one example of a location that is being reconsidered even though it never opened. According to the company’s revised priorities, some locations might be transformed into Whole Foods Markets. That chapter is now over in Long Island, where customers used to wait in line to browse Fresh’s simple aisles.
The technology that these stores invented, however, will not disappear. It’s probable that features like dash carts, AI-powered logistics, and predictive inventory systems will be incorporated into Whole Foods stores or improve online fulfillment. Instead of giving up on innovation, Amazon is using it more wisely.
The company can provide something far more sustainable than frictionless novelty by incorporating digital expertise into legacy retail. It’s creating a familiar-feeling but more intelligent model that is built for scale rather than spectacle.
What started out as a cashierless convenience experiment has evolved into a more thorough comprehension of grocery behavior. Customers value convenience, but not at the expense of interpersonal interaction, according to data from Amazon. Even though it is a subtle lesson, it is especially helpful as other tech companies think about entering the physical retail space.
Amazon seems prepared to take the lead as the industry pays attention—not by doing away with grocery tradition, but by carefully updating it.
This is not the conclusion.
It’s the reworking of a vision that simply required a new direction.
